We returned from our excursion to British Columbia about a week ago and I have been blogging on my other blog The Boardman’s and Browns of Winnipeg, A Canadian Story about this trip. My goal was to learn more about the Brown family, my mother’s side, before I headed to Ontario/Quebec. I also ended up looking at a nice stack of books and still had a nice vacation and time to visit with my cousin on the Brown side.

We stopped at the Cloverdale Library in Surrey, British Columbia which has a major genealogical collection. I talked with the librarian and she also came to the conclusion that the dates of the Upper and Lower Canadian Land petitions on the Library and Archives website cut off to early for my research on Archibald McDonell and maybe his father-in-law Alexander John McDonell. She suggested I call them and ask my questions. I do have some copies of the Land grants but not the petition. We will see.

Cloverdale Library, Surrey, BC

I turned my attention to examining their book collection and pulled the “Lochiel Parish” volumes. These books are about the old Kirk, St. Columbus Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church in Glengarry County, Ontario. They cover baptisms, marriages and deaths for the time period of 1820/1884. There is an index. This was done by Duncan Darby MacDonald. I reviewed them even though my McDonell’s were Catholic. On page 131 he gives a “Division of the Burying Ground for McGillivrays, McMillans, McLeods, Camerons, McIntoshs, MacPhees and MacDonalds “2-Lots in the first range, north-end.” I took photographs of some of the pages.

They had the new books both volumes of “Some Early Scotts in Maritime Canada,” by Terrence M. Punch. Only one John McMurray was mentioned, my mom’s side. The McDonalds were familiar, I have seen these names online.

Some other books I gave a look at: The Scotsman in Canada by George Bryce. “Index of Passengers who emigrated to Canada between 1817 & 1849,” compiled by John A. Acton. I photocopied the Bibliography and several other pages.

They also had the “Parish Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths of St. Regis Roman Catholic Mission (Early Jesuit) 1784-1830 Part One, Two, Three,” so I studied those volumes as well. “Includes earliest located records of St. Andrews West, St. Raphael’s, Cornwall, Indian Lands, Long Sault, etc. and some NY records up to 2000. Again compiled by Duncan Darby MacDonald. It was a brand new publications done by Global Genealogy who has his collection.

I turned to their stacks and wandered. I found the book “Municipal Records in Ontario History and Guide by Fraser Dunford. Too big to photograph but very interesting. Apparently published by the Toronto, Ontario Genealogical Society, 2005.

“Pioneers of the Upper Ottawa and the Humors of the Valley” by Anson A. Gard. This is the South Hull and Aylmer Edition which means there are others? I of course need farther up Pontiac County.

“The Upper Ottawa Valley, a glimpse of history,” Pakenham, Ottawa Valley Village 1823-1860,” were two titles I reviewed. They had a very old gazetteer for the Province of Ontario dated 1869 and I copied some of the Glengarry County sections taking photos.

“St. Andrews West. (RC) Parish Register Part 1 (1804 to 1856) and part II (1836-1856).” again by Duncan D. MacDonald. These were the old books not yet republished by Global Genealogy. They are online at Ancestry.com under the Drouin Collection and at Family History Library online. Still it is good to review these records in various forms to make sure you don’t miss something. Mr. MacDonald writes some good information in the front of his books and even had a listing of the pews owned. There is a marriage in this collection I am very interested in but I need to do more digging to see if it is the right family.

I then switched back to my Brown family on my mother’s side and looked at few titles they had in their stacks. “Methodist Church Baptismal Records 1841-1888 Prince Edward County, Ontario. By the Kingston Branch of the OGS. There was some interesting possibilities in this book.

Back to McD research: “Births, Marriages & Deaths, Abstracts from the Renfrew Mercury 1901-1910,” by Aldene and Les Church and other years as well. Covered mostly Renfrew County of course, but still worth checking.

“McNab-The Township,” by Peter Hessel, published 1988. Very well done. I copied the section on Alexander McDonnell who came from Scotland in 1795. He is buried in the Albert Street Cemetery in Arnprior and I am very curious about this man and his family and his six brothers who received large grants of land. There is a mention of Perth as a place they went first?

“Peter Robinson’s Settlers 1823 to 1825,” by Carol Bennett (male). Again very well done. Now these settlers came too early for my McDonell’s but the descendants are very interesting and have married into other families. I was particularly interested in the Leahy family on pages 103 – 106. I have a Leahy marrying into the my McDonell family.

Back to the Brown Surname: “County Marriage Registers of Ontario, Canada 1858-1860 Vol. 5, Hastings County,” compiled by Elizabeth Hancocks, CG. I took photos of the Brown and King surnames.

“Wesleyan Methodist Baptism Records of Hasting County, Ontario 1840-1902,” transcribed and indexed by Linda Corupe UE. Again I took photos of the Brown & King surnames. The Browns were Anglican but if there isn’t a church nearby where they settle, then they might go elsewhere to practice their faith?

“Surrogate Court Records of Ontario, 1859 to 1900 Vol. 2, Hastings & Prince Edward Counties,” compiled by June Gibson etc. 1988. Very interesting. This will need to followed up on when I get to Hastings County.

“Canada West’s Last Frontier, by Jean Turnbull Elford, A History of Lambton,” 1981 This has some Brown information contained within the pages.

Back to the McDonalds: “Soldiers of the King,” by William Gray was suggested by a person I hired to help me with my family research in Canada. When I know more I may have to retun to review it.

As you can see I am jumping around between McDonell research and Brown research. Now I have a list to add to as I prepare for my upcoming trip. Some of these titles I have eliminated as sources, others are to be kept on the “back burner,” and others are to investigate further.

The clock is still ticking as the trip draws near. I encourage you to go and check out my trip to Kelowna British Columbia, which is not just genealogical but includes some fun excursions. http://boardmanbrown.wordpress.com/

Harrison Hot Springs

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About BJ MacDonald

Interested in travel, really into genealogy and researching my family history, classic novels and movies, fantasy and science fiction, photography, history and more...
Here is a tip. Make sure you are commenting on the blog you were visiting and the post you were interested in. My blogs are listed by hovering over my pictures and clicking. Clicking one of them will take you back to the correct blog. You can try me here: bjmcdonell@gmail.com

Things to Ponder!

The header photo is of the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and Cemetery in Chapeau, Quebec.

The OGS (Ontario Genealogical Society) Online Newsletter for October 15, 2016 has a great article on the Toronto Library where their collection has been moved to. How to access it and the documents. OGS was given a tour of the new facilities. I was at the North York on my trip to Canada and that is now closed with the collection moved to the main library. They don't discuss parking but that could be an issue.

It is with sadness I report that the Chanute Air Museum is closing for good. I am so glad I visited this museum on the base where my Dad, Keith, spent his time learning his craft of airplane mechanic. August 12, 2016

NEWER PAGES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE TOP OF THE BLOG UNDER THE PHOTO CHECK IT OUT!!!! They are drop down so hover your mouse.

Timeline for World War II

This timeline has been moved to a page at the top of this blog under His Love of Airplanes.

World War II ended in September 2, 1945.

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